Attitudes and Decision Making About Neonatal Male Circumcision in a Hispanic Population in New York City

Abstract

Objective To understand attitudes and decision making regarding neonatal male circumcision. Methods Parents (n = 150) with a son ≤ 3 years old were interviewed regarding demographics, communication with a medical provider, attitudes and process by which the neonatal circumcision decision was made. Results Thirty-three percent of sons were circumcised. In univariate analyses, choosing male circumcision was associated with parents being interviewed in English, the father being circumcised, positive attitudes, being informed of the advantages of circumcision, making a decision before birth, and being offered a choice. In the final model, parents who came from a culture and family that believed in circumcision and who believed it was not too risky were more likely to circumcise their sons. Conclusions Decisions regarding circumcision appear to be influenced by values, risk perceptions and medical providers. Future research should address ways of insuring that families have the opportunity to make an informed decision.

Can a Simple Urinalysis Predict the Causative Agent and the Antibiotic Sensitivities?

“…28 The medical records that we reviewed did not have consistent reporting of circumcision status of children. A 2012 survey by Bisono et al 29 taken in Washington Heights/Inwood, a nearby Hispanic community, estimates the rate of circumcision to be 33%. Whether our population has a similar circumcision rate is questionable because of differing cultural and racial composition as well as immigration patterns.…”

Shared Decision Making for Routine Infant Circumcision: A Pilot Study

“…Previously published interventions on parental decision making for RIC showed that physician counseling, videos, and informational brochures have not been shown to influence parental decision making about RIC, particularly in the postpartum period (Binner et al, 2002;Chantry et al, 2010;Wang et al, 2010). One strength of this SDM program was that the decision-making support was provided during pregnancy when parents are most likely to make their decision about RIC rather than after the birth of their son (AAP, 2012;Binner et al, 2002;Bisono et al, 2012;Chantry et al, 2010).…”

“…The results of this pilot study suggest that SDM effectively prepared the participants to make their decisions about RIC based on health-related factors and their own personal values. It is possible that the RIC decision was influenced by the participants' discussions with their health-care providers and their cultural values, as suggested by Bisono et al (2012). Future studies, with larger sample sizes and diverse participants, are needed to test the efficacy of the intervention.…”

“…The AAP (2012) suggested that information on RIC be included in the curriculum of childbirth preparation classes. Childbirth classes are an ideal venue because the body of evidence examining parental decision making about RIC demonstrates that parents make this decision during pregnancy (Binner et al, 2002;Bisono et al, 2012;Chantry et al, 2010). Bisono et al (2012) reported that difficulties related to making a decision about RIC in the postpartum period was the predominate reason for not circumcising among Hispanics.…”

“…Childbirth classes are an ideal venue because the body of evidence examining parental decision making about RIC demonstrates that parents make this decision during pregnancy (Binner et al, 2002;Bisono et al, 2012;Chantry et al, 2010). Bisono et al (2012) reported that difficulties related to making a decision about RIC in the postpartum period was the predominate reason for not circumcising among Hispanics. The purpose of this pilot study was to implement a three-phase shared decision-making (SDM) program to prepare expectant parents attending childbirth classes to make a decision about RIC.…”